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NIAGARA FALLS, Ont. —The iconic falls here were a key search term more times on Google Maps than any other destination in Canada this summer.

Google spokesman Aaron Brindle said the Google Maps team reviewed this summer’s search activity on maps.google.com between the end of May and the beginning of September.

He wouldn’t share how many times Niagara Falls was searched for, or how far ahead of second-place Wasaga Beach the southern Ontario destination was, noting Google doesn’t share those numbers because of the complex nature of the data.

“We use data from multiple sources, including insights for search and internal data tools. We also filter out spam and repeat queries to build out lists that best reflect the spirit of the times,” he said.

He said all of the Google Maps queries studied are anonymous, so no personal information was used.

Brindle said Canadians average more than four billion searches on Google every month -- a large number of those searches on Google Maps.

Mayor Jim Diodati said he’s “thrilled” Niagara Falls was the most popular destination searched by Canadians, but he’s not surprised.

He points to examples such as Nik Wallenda’s tightrope walk between the Horseshoe Falls and Goat Island in June, which drew global recognition, and the Nov. 29 Red Bull Crashed Ice event to be held in the city, which is expected to boost sports tourism in the traditional shoulder season.

“We take for granted sometimes how famous Niagara Falls is. The brand name is enormous,” Diodati said. “Everyone has heard of Niagara Falls. It’s the most famous city in Canada, sometimes it’s more famous than Canada itself.”

Diodati said tourism figures this year are up from past years, specifically from the American and Asian markets. He said he recently spoke to one major hotel operator who is benefitting from a 30% increase in U.S. visitation.

“We’re bucking the trend because traditionally, in an election year, U.S. tourism to Niagara Falls is slow. But not this year.”